Dawson Allen

Work Experiences

In the summer of 2020, I worked as a Structural Engineering Intern for KPFF Consulting Engineers in St. Louis, Missouri. In this experience, I gained a knowledge base of structural engineering design and construction processes. I learned prescriptive based design as well as many of the concepts of structural mechanics driving codes and regulations. I spent time onsite of both new building and historical building renovation projects. Time spent assessing existing structural conditions of a building was never time wasted - there is so much to learn! I really grew passionate about structural engineering as I performed design tasks of items such as base plates, anchor bolts, pilasters & reinforcing bar or calculating design criteria for a storm shelter. I began to see how the value and purpose in technical work plays out in practice. Additionally, the meaningful work structural engineers perform was reinforced in this internship. I came to appreciate historical buildings for the stories of life & history they tell - which further inspires me to find efficient ways of preserving them for continued use in years to come. It is this experience that leads me to confidence in the decision to pursue a Master's degree in Structural Engineering.

In the summer of 2019, I worked as a Project Manager Intern for ARCO National Construction at their HQ in St. Louis, MO. I assisted in the development of two projects in downtown Long Beach, CA: Ocean Center and Breaker's Hotel, both historic restoration projects circa the 1920's. With this, I built skills in reviewing engineering and architectural plans, coordinating subcontractor's work with these designs and our project schedule, as well as cost analysis and the financial aspects of project management. Aiding in the translation from design to construction in these projects was greatly beneficial to my understanding of the civil engineering and construction industry.

During the summer of 2018, I interned with the Engineering Department of The City of Carmel, IN. Here, I observed various construction techniques, learned about the time frame and management of projects, and gained presentation skills as I routinely presented my progress of a street lighting study to the City Council.

During the Spring of 2018, I worked on a design project at Griffin Bike Park, alongside park staff, in pursuit of implementing trail and facility improvements. I organized a volunteer event with Rose's ASCE Chapter to begin construction of these improvements. Today, many of these efforts have been implemented and are enjoyed by the mountain biking community in Terre Haute, IN.

I also spent some time after high school, during the summer of 2017, working for Bridges of Indiana as a Direct Support Professional. This work shared commonalities with some of my volunteer efforts serving kids with disabilities at Camp Barnabas.

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